March 13, 2024, 9:04 p.m
© NASA/JPL-Caltech
The American agency NASA showed the design of the sign, which they plan to send in October on the Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Made from tantalum metal, the plate measures 18 by 28 centimeters and contains graphic elements on both sides.
The outer panel depicts a drawing emphasizing the connection between the Earth and the Europa satellite. In the center is a symbol that represents the concept of “water” in American Sign Language, and from it radiate engraved waves (a visual representation of sound waves) – these are audio recordings of the word “water” spoken in 103 languages converted into drawings.
They will also write on the sign:
a poem by American poet Ada Limon “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europe”; the Drake equation (it is used to calculate the possibility of detecting developed civilizations beyond the Earth); the “Message in a Bottle” image in the Jupiter system (in the center of this image there will be a silicon microchip with a record of more than 2.6 million people’s names – anyone could send them to the agency); a portrait of planetary scientist Ron Greeley, whose early efforts to develop a mission to Europa 20 years ago laid the foundation for the creation of Europa Clipper.
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In 2030, after a 2.6 billion kilometer journey, Europa Clipper will begin orbiting Jupiter, making 49 close flybys of Europa. To determine whether there are conditions capable of supporting life, the spacecraft’s powerful suite of science instruments will collect data on the moon’s subsurface ocean, icy crust, atmosphere and space environment. The electronics of these devices are housed in a massive metal casing designed to protect them from the harmful radiation of Jupiter. A memorial plaque will cover the opening in the vault.
In early March, scientists announced that there was less oxygen on the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa than previously thought. This reduces the likelihood that life exists in Europa’s subglacial ocean.
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